A LANDMARK to rival the Angel of the North could soon be towering over the M4 south of Reading.

A LANDMARK to rival the Angel of the North could soon be towering over the M4 south of Reading.

A massive 120-metre wind turbine, capable of supplying power to businesses and homes in the area, is being planned for GreenPark.

The wind turbine would have a blade rotor span of 70 metres and stand as tall as the London Eye.

Like sculptor Antony Gormley's Angel of the North - a mere 54 metres tall - which is seen by 90,000 motorists in Gateshead every day, the wind turbine would overlook the motorway and be visible for miles around.

Capable of generating enough electricity for 1,205 homes it would not be directly linked to GreenPark buildings and it will be up to

individual customers and companies whether they want to plug into the wind-generated electricity.

The company behind the plan, Ecotricity, held an exhibition in Grazeley on Friday - visited by about 20 people - to give an idea of what the turbine will look like.

Common complaints against wind turbines are that they give out a noisy "whine" and interfere with TV reception in homes nearby.

But a spokesman for Ecotricity said this will not be a problem because the type of turbine being proposed - known as an Enercon turbine - has no gearbox so will not cause a whine.

He said: "There are a lot of myths about wind turbines. They don't interfere with televisions.

"The only argument that people could have is the visual intrusion.

"We certainly don't consider putting them in areas of outstanding natural beauty, but many people find them very attractive."

However the Ecotricity consultation document says Government guidance rules that wind turbines should be sited more than 350 metres from homes because of the noise and that the company avoids "sites that might give rise to electromagnetic interference such as TV reception and interference with fixed communication links".

The turbines turn between 10 and 22 revolutions per minute and stop automatically in very high wind to prevent damage. The rotor head swivels constantly to optimise wind direction.